GODORT (Government Documents Round Table)

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The mission of the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) is to (1) To provide a forum for discussion of problems, concerns, and for exchange of ideas by librarians working with government documents; (2) to provide a force for initiating and supporting programs to increase availability, use, and bibliographic control of documents; (3) to increase communication between documents librarians and other librarians; (4) to contribute to the extension and improvement of education and training of documents librarians.

Learn more about GODORT on the ALA website.

  • 1.  Need input on draft statements on the future of of govt information and the FDLP

    Posted Jan 24, 2014 08:43 AM

    (I'm posting on behalf of Bernadine Abbott Hoduski, chair of GODORT Legislation Committee)


    GODORT Legislation committee has drafted 6 short statements on various aspects pertaining to the future of government information and the FDLP. We need input, suggestions, edits on these drafts from all GODORT members BY FEBRUARY 10, 2014. Please email your comments to Bernadine Abbott Hoduski (ber@montana.com) AND James Jacobs (jrjacobs@stanford.edu).


    The goal is to distribute these statements to librarians throughout ALA as well as to Congress and their staffs to alert them to the issues and generate ongoing support for long-term FREE access to and preservation of both historic paper and born-digital government publications.


    All 6 draft statements are combined in the single attached PDF document. Here are the working titles of all 6:



    • DIGITIZATION AND PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC US GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

    • THE NEXT GENERATION OF GOVERNMENT INFORMATION LIBRARIANS: A PROPOSAL FOR THEIR EDUCATION

    • FEDERAL DEPOSITORY LIBRARY PROGRAM: SUSTAINABLE STRUCTURE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

    • FEDERAL LIBRARIES AND THEIR ROLE WITHIN THE FEDERAL DEPOSITORY LIBRARY PROGRAM

    • LIBRARIES – THE LAST BEST PLACE FOR PRESERVING PAPER & DIGITAL GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

    • TECHNOLOGY TOOLS TO SIMPLIFY AND EXPAND ACCESS TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INFORMATION


    Thank you in advance for your time in reading and submitting comments!



  • 2.  RE: Need input on draft statements on the future of of govt information and the FDLP

    Posted Jan 24, 2014 12:47 PM

    a couple of people mentioned that they had difficulty with the PDF package. So I've uploaded each file separately too. Your choice.



  • 3.  RE: Need input on draft statements on the future of of govt information and the FDLP

    Posted Feb 04, 2014 11:28 AM

    James, Bernadine, and others,

    Thank you for working on these very well formed statements. I have a general comment related to all of the statements. Although each talks about important issues before our community only one seems to clearly state upfront the core value of continued free and unencumbered access to government produced information. While that value is implied in each document that only becomes apparent if the reader of the statement shares that value. I am not sure that a congressional staff person tasked to read a statement once it is delivered by a visiting librarian will understand that free and unencumbered access undergirds each statement/goal.  I wonder if instead if it would be helpful to craft into each statement – upfront and in an affirmative way – a brief phrase that asserts that value.

    Thanks again to each of you for working on this and for providing the opportunity to respond to them before the statements become official ALA documents.   Bill